This invention relates generally to containers erected from foldable blanks of corrugated containerboard and, more particularly, to ones which are formed from a single-piece blank into a container that has multi-ply end panels with stacking tabs protruding upwardly therefrom.
The container of the present invention is suitable for packing such things as fruit and vegetables. Such containers must meet a variety of end use requirements, one being that the container must be strong enough to contain the product from the time it is packed until it is unpacked. For transportation requirements it is desirable that the container have sufficient vertical stacking strength so that several containers may be stacked vertically for shipment. Another desirable feature during transportation is to have stacking tabs protruding from one container into another adjacent container to prevent sway and possible destacking.
There are several containers in the prior art that do offer some of these features. For example, the patent to J. P. Hamilton - U.S. Pat. No. 3,157,346 discloses a two-piece container that would be suitable for containing product and transporting it. However, the Hamilton container has a very complicated end panel construction and, in addition, is comprised of two pieces, making it more difficult to erect than the container of the present invention. The patent to Chaffers - U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,579 also shows a multi-piece container with stacking tabs protruding from the end walls, but similarly to Hamilton, is more complicated to erect than the container of the present invention. The patent to J. M. Duncan - U.S. Pat. No. 3,114,493 does disclose a single-piece container blank which is foldable into a container having multi-ply end panels, but which does not have stacking tabs protruding upwardly from the end panels.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the container art that it would be most desirable to have a single-piece easily-erected container having the aforementioned features for stacking, containing, and carrying products. Depending upon packing and transportation requirements, the end panel construction should be comprised of an appropriate number of plies of containerboard. In the container of the present invention, each end panel is comprised of multiple plies of containerboard and, consequently, such a container offers a great amount of vertical stacking strength. The vertical stacking tabs are designed into the blank and are integral therewith so that when the container is erected, two vertical stacking tabs will protrude upwardly from the top of each end panel. Corresponding apertures in the bottom of each container will accept the protruding stacking tabs from the container beneath when they are in a vertically stacked arrangement. Another advantage of the present invention is that, by utilizing a single-piece blank, a standard tray-forming machine can be appropriately modified in order to automatically erect the container if desired.
Accordingly, from the foregoing, one object of the present invention is to provide a single-piece container blank which can be erected to a suitable container having multi-ply end panels with integral stacking tabs protruding upwardly from their top edges.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a suitably designed container blank having sufficient stacking strength in the erected condition such that a plurality of such containers may be stacked one atop the other with stacking tabs interlocking in order to form a relatively stable stack.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a single-piece container blank that may be automatically erected by suitable forming machinery.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the attached drawing.